Choices of a Brainy Witch
by BiochemicalMayhem
Summary: Hermione chose to go back to Hogwarts to complete her schooling and get her Newts. She is going to be faced with a lot of choices throughout her last year, and it's going to be hard. But she'll manage it, she always does. Draco had no choice but to go back to Hogwarts. And they're paths are going to cross a lot.


Authors Note: So this is my first go at a Dramione fanfiction. So please bare with me, I'm open to any constructive criticism, but please do be nice about it.

Also, disclaimer, I do not own any thing to do with Harry Potter, though I wish I did.

Prologue

It had been 3 months since the battle ended, Voldemort defeated at the hands of his own wand, thanks to Harry Potter. It had been a long 14 weeks for Hermione Granger; full of interviews, funerals, and trials. There was also the choice of, whether to return to Hogwarts to repeat the final year she missed out on whilst searching for Horcruxes, or join Ron and Harry by accepting the position she was offered at the Ministry of Magic. The male part of the Golden Trio had been offered Auror positions, whereas Hermione had be given the opportunity to join the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad as an Obliviator in training, due to the knowledge of her successful memory charm on her parents.

Although she really wanted to accept such an amazing job she didn't feel it right not having her NEWTs first. She had been trying to get Ron and Harry to see it her way, but of course, they didn't have her love for studying, and would rather not have to go back to Hogwarts when it wasn't needed. She was sad that the choices would mean she would be away from her best friends but she just couldn't see that as a good enough reason not to go.

She was happy to know that she wasn't going to be completely alone as Ginny and Luna were both going back, though they had opted to not redo their sixth year, feeling confident in themselves that they could pass their NEWTs even with the disruptions of the previous one.

Going back to Hogwarts hadn't been the only choice she had to make since the war, it was difficult though only through fear of what her parents would think of her. She had gone to Australia to find Wendell and Monica Wilkins, the people she had made them think they were after removing all their memories of herself. It didn't take her long to find the Wilkins' dentistry in Sydney, after that she masqueraded as a patient who was seen by Wendell and waited until the dental nurse was out of the room to perform the reversal charm before finding her mother to repeat it.

They had closed the practice for the day to spend with her, it started off a little rocky as they were upset with her for using her magic on them without their knowledge. It took a while for Hermione to explain it all to them, how they would have been high on Voldemorts list to be tortured and killed, all for the benefit of getting to Hermione and subsequently Harry. After all of that, she spent about a month with them in Sydney, they had forgiven her. But as they still had their memories as the Wilkins', they decided to stay in Australia, telling her that she should visit whenever she could. It was hard for her to return without her parents, but at least she knew that they remembered her, and stayed of their own volition and not just because of a thought she had planted in their head.

Not long after she had come back from Australia the Death Eater trials had started. The Golden Trio were expected at all of them, due to their involvement of bringing most of them down. Harry had decided to speak for Narcissa Malfoy, to explain how she saved his life, which lead him to be able to defeat Voldemort. Hermione had joined him with speaking for Draco Malfoy, on account of how young he was when he had the ideals forced upon him, and how he refused to confirm their identities when they had been taken to Malfoy Manor by the snatchers. Ron, however had refused to do the same, saying that Draco had made his own choices. It was fueled by the hatred between the Weasleys and the Malfoys, and they hadn't spoken for a whole week whilst the trials went on. Until Ron finally apologised and agreed that he was being his hotheaded self about it.

Hermione and Ron had shared a single kiss in the chamber of secrets during the Battle of Hogwarts after retrieving a basilisk fang and destroying Hufflepuff's cup, which had been made a horcrux by Voldemort. They had grown closer during the final moments of the battle, but after it was over, they were forced to talk about it. They realised that there was no romantic chemistry between them, the kiss had felt wrong and they decided it was better for them to leave it in the chamber, no one else needed to know about it and they did not need to dwell on it anymore.

Hermione was getting ready to go back to Hogwarts, she had received her letter detailing what was on the years syllabus and what she needed to buy before returning, as well as informing her that she was to be Head Girl for her final year. She had visited Diagon Alley with Ginny and Luna, it had been nice to have some girl time. They got their new robes from Madam Malkins, their trip into Flourish and Blotts took longer due to Hermione buying more than the required reading material, they then went to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour for a break and to talk about how they felt on the year ahead of them. They continued on to Quality Quidditch Supplies for Ginny, she was given the role of Captain of the Gryffindor Team this year. When they were done they all returned to the Burrow, where Hermione had been staying until the school year started.

Draco Malfoy had had a lot of time to think about the war in the aftermath, he had been holed up on house arrest until his trial was to take place. He was going crazy being cooped up with his parents, thought he was trying to get as much time as he could manage with them, in case the trials lead to a worst case scenario. His mother spent most of her time worrying over him. Not believing that the Wizengamot could sentence her only son to a life time in Azkaban.

The trials came too quick, there was a lot of awkward stares as they were lead to the courtroom, in a row of three. It was Lucius Malfoy who went first, his trial did not take long at all. He was sentenced to life in Azkaban, but with the dementors being removed from the fortress it was nicer than it had been in years. Narcissa was next, she listened as Harry Potter spoke as a witness to her good deed, smirking slightly to herself as he did not seem to realise it was for her own selfish needs to find Draco alive. She was sentenced to 5 years house arrest, though she was given the choice of whether it would be seen out at Malfoy Manor, or their more pleasant and smaller mansion on the outskirts of Paris.

Draco's was the longest trial, with both Harry and Hermione Granger speaking as witnesses for him. The court took their time to make the decision as though they were unsure what to decide. In the end they told him that he was only to have to go back to Hogwarts to finish his last school year and exams. Though he was to be on house arrest until September first.


End file.
